Download MBV Newsletter Vesak 2006 - Minnesota Buddhist Vihara

Minnesota
Buddhist
Spring (Vesak) 2005
Happy is The Birth of Buddhas
Buddha means the Enlightened One. Today,
there are no Buddhas in the world. There were Buddhas
in the past and also there will be Buddhas in the future.
Buddhas are rare beings, very rare. Once, referring to the
four rare things in the world, the Buddha himself said,
"Rare is the birth as a human being. Hard is the life of
mortals. Hard is the hearing of the Sublime Dhamma.
Rare is the appearance of a Buddha." They are born in
the world after a long, immeasurable and incalculable
length, many eons.
The Buddha of our era, Sakyamuni Gautama, was born
in India as a prince on the full moon day of the month of
Vesak (May) 2628 years ago. Since he was born as a
human being like any other, he was neither a God
(creator) nor a messenger of any other supernatural
power.
When he was a young prince, he stared to practice
mindfulness and to develop his mind. As a consequence
of that contemplativeness he was able to understand the
fleeting nature of sensual pleasures, the insatiable nature
of life as well as the impermanency of the world. At the
prime age of 29, he renounced the worldly life and
became an ascetic. Since then he went from place to
place seeking the truth. He met various distinguished
teachers of the day and learnt from them. But
unfortunately he was not satisfied with their teachings.
Afterwards, he practiced severe austerities for six year
which also ended in vain. Finally, he made up his mind
and recalling the early days of his life understood the
significance of practicing mindfulness of breathing as a
means of controlling and tranquilizing the mind. One
fine day, after having his lunch and crossing the river
Neranjara at Gaya, he sat under a shady tree on the bank
of the river and started to practice mindfulness of
breathing. As he was contemplating in breath as in
Minnesota Buddhist Vihara
P.O. Box 48601
MN 55448, USA
Tel: 763-786-1811
[email protected]
www.minnesotabudhistvihara.org
Vol. 1
Number1
breath and out breath his mind became pure, bright,
unblemished, rid of imperfections, malleable, wieldy,
steady and attained imperturbability. Then he directed
his mind to recollect his past lives. And in this manner
he gained different types of knowledge and perfect
insight and eventually became the Buddha in the world.
The truth he realized that day is known as the Dhamma,
or his teachings. This teaching of the Buddha could be
condensed into 37 factors which again categorized into
the three principles and also to a key word
"Mindfulness" respectively. They are 37 factors of
Enlightenment; the four noble truths, the three
characteristics of existence, the Dependent origination
and mindfulness (The four foundations of mindfulness).
This is the Unique Path for the actualization of Nibbana.
The Buddha taught the Dhamma for 45 years wandering
on highways and byways tirelessly, addressing the
people from all walks of life in India. And after this
unparalleled service to mankind, on the full moon day of
Vesak (the month of May), he passed away into
Parinibbana.
We, Buddhists, all over the world commemorate the
Buddha's birth day on this great day; the full moon day
of May. May is the most significant month for the
Buddhists and the full moon day of May is the utmost
significant day for the Buddhists; the day that no beings
are slaughtered or harassed; the day thousands of beings
are released from fetters, fed and patted so as to live
happily and peacefully. But this shouldn't be the only
day to behave humanely. We all should practice this
humane behavior during our whole lifetime.
May all beings be well, happy, and peaceful!
T. Seelananda Thero
New York Buddhist Vihara, NY
[email protected]
Page 1 of 6
Minnesota Buddhist
Buddha and His Teachings
Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama,
who later came to be called The Buddha; the
Enlightened or the Awakened One. Siddhartha Gautama
was born in India during the sixth century before
Christian era. There were two religious traditions during
this period in India: 1. Brahmana or the orthodox
religious tradition and 2. The recluse or Sramana
tradition, which was unorthodox. The society was
dominated by Brahmana priests. Indian society during
this period was divided into four functional groups:
Brahmana (Priestly class), Ksatriya (Warriors), Vaisya
(Merchants) and Sudra (Menials). There were many
Sramana groups propagating their teachings.
Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family in the
northern part of India. He was brought up on the lap of
luxuries. He received education under Brahmana
teachers and married when he was very young. His
father built three weather-proof palaces for him. Yet he
did not enjoy any of these because he was struck by
human suffering. Then he decided to give up everything
and become a homeless wanderer. Already two religious
traditions were well established in India. In his early
years as a recluse he was experimenting and decided to
follow well accepted practice of self-mortification in
order to realize the truth. Self-mortification was a
practice followed by recluses in India during the sixth
century with the hope of getting out of this Samsaric
existence. Specially, it was followed by Jainas to destroy
the karmic bondage accumulated during previous
existences.
After six years of intensive practice of self-mortification,
Siddhartha Gautam realized that it was a useless
practice. He understood that the liberation must be
achieved internally. Also, he understood that one cannot
achieve anything by torturing the body. The application
of mental treatment was the only means of achieving
liberation. We read in the Dhammapada that ‘What is the
use of your matted hair, what is the use of your bark
robe, your mind is like a jungle.’ Our mind is constantly
contaminated by adventitious defilements. Therefore, we
should have a means of purifying our minds. On this
firm understanding Siddhartha Gautama found the
practice of meditation and applied it for purging and
cleansing the mind of defilements. Thus he practiced
both the Tranquility and Insight methods of meditation
and became the Enlightened One.
In his first sermon addressed to his former colleagues of
five ascetics he emphatically mentioned that there are
© Minnesota Buddhist Vihara Inc.
Volume 1 No. 1
two extremes that should be avoided by monks, that is to
say, the extreme of indulgence in sensual pleasures and
the extreme of self-mortification. In this respect Buddha
follows the middle way or path. Middle way is not an
extreme like the other two. In his first sermon Buddha
expounded the Four Noble Truths; the Noble Truth of
Suffering or Unsatisfactoriness, the Noble Truth of the
Cause of Suffering, the Noble Truth of Cessation of
Suffering and the Noble Truth of the Path Leading to
Cessation of Suffering. By realizing these truths one can
become enlightened and get out of this Samsaric
existence.
After the first sermon the Buddha established the Order
of Sangha by granting ordination. This was one of the
greatest events in the history of Buddhism. For the
propagation and continuation of the Buddha’s vision and
mission it was extremely necessary to have followers.
From the beginning Buddhism has been a way of
wisdom which emphasizes emancipation through
knowledge. The basic aim of Buddhism is to get rid of
ignorance and craving of mind. This enables us to stop
our repeated existence in the Samsara.
In the early Vedic teaching we find that death was a
problem. So the early Aryans thought of a state of
deathlessness (Amrta). This is what is called
immortality. In order to become immortal one has to
perform sacrifices. But the Buddha said that we have the
problem in birth not in death. As we are born we suffer
and die. If we can stop birth we can stop death too. This
was very well explained by the Buddha in his teaching
of Dependent Origination. Buddha said that as we are
born we are subject to decay, death and so forth.
Freedom of Thinking and Investigation
Buddhism is not a dogmatic religion. There is
room for criticism, investigation and free thinking in
Buddhism. Buddha did not tell anybody to accept his
teaching dogmatically. In the Kalama sutra we come
across that the Buddha has emphasized the importance
of thinking and investigation. The basic principle of this
discourse is that one should not accept a religious
teaching and come to conclusions regarding the truth
because of, mere tradition, hearsay; by the authority of
religious scriptures, by the authority of the teacher, by
one’s suitability and expertness. Buddha clearly said that
even his Dhamma and teaching should be investigated
and examined. When we apply reflection and
investigation we know which the right way is and which
the wrong way. To follow and not to follow is up to us.
Blind faith is discarded by the Buddha as people do not
have capacity to discern. Instead the Buddha praised the
Page 2 of 6
Minnesota Buddhist
intelligent faith which is based on reflection and
investigation.
Buddhist Theory of Knowledge
Buddha did not come to any conclusion
regarding the truth on the basis of what is heard from
teachers and what is learned from religious scriptures. In
the Savgārava Sutra of the Majjhima Nikaya, Buddhist
theory of knowledge is very well explained in lucid
terms. In this sutra knowledge acquired through mere
hearing is discarded as not valid due to the fact that the
experience is not involved. And also logic and
reasoning, which was accepted in Upanishad philosophy
as a valid means of knowledge, is set aside by the
Buddha as it led us to wrong conclusions regarding the
truth. For Buddha the valid means of knowledge is
perception. In this respect Buddhism is experientialism.
One has to experience the reality. Nagarjuna, one of the
greatest Buddhist philosophers in India, emphatically
said that ‘Dhamma is letter less, therefore it cannot be
heard and preached (anakşarasya dharmasya srutih kā
desanā ca kā). According to Buddhism we see the truth
by ourselves. What Buddha did was to show us the way,
and guide us in the right path. In this sense Buddha is
not a savior.
Middle Way and Its Validity
Middle way is the path which is exclusive to
Buddhism. Buddha saw two extreme philosophical
views in India during his time. One is the extreme of
eternalism. This emphasized an eternal entity which
transmigrates from one existence to another. The other
extreme is annihilationism. This theory emphasized total
non-existence after death. Buddha did not want to
commit to any of these theories. For Buddha the middle
way is Dependent Origination (Paticcasamuppada).
Importance of Analysis in Realization of the
Truth
Regarding the realization of the truth method of
analysis is extremely important. The truth is divided into
two, conventional and ultimate. Ultimate truth is the real
nature of phenomena. By our normal eyes the ultimate
truth cannot be seen. We see things as they appear to us.
What we see is the totality. Totality is the outer
appearance of things and it is not the real truth.
Buddhism teaches us to penetrate into phenomena to see
the real nature of things. This we do in an analytical
way. When we analyze phenomena into parts we do not
see what we saw before. We see only component parts.
Therefore, we come to a conclusion that what we see in
our eyes is not the reality. Take for example beauty.
© Minnesota Buddhist Vihara Inc.
Volume 1 No. 1
What is beauty? Beauty is the totality of many factors.
When we separate these factors we do not see beauty
any more. This is the truth of phenomena which helps us
to realize the ultimate truth.
Relevance of Buddhism to the Modern
World
Buddhist ethics is very important to the modern
world as we can find solutions for many problems of our
day to day life. As social beings we live in societies by
interacting with others in our neighborhood. When a
human being is separated from others in the society the
ethics has no validity or function. Therefore, Buddhist
ethics should be studied in relation to others in society.
The foundation of Buddhist ethics is Loving kindness
and Compassion (Metta and Karuna). If we truly have
loving kindness and compassion we cannot harm, kill or
destroy anybody or anything. Another important factor is
that we should accept the existence of others in society.
This lays the foundation for Buddhist ethics. Not only
Buddhist ethics is concerned with human beings and
animals but also the environment.
Buddha advised people not to kill or harm anybody
having likened them unto oneself. This is the selfanalogous theory of Buddhist ethics. And also Buddha
taught us a very good lesson of applying reflection and
investigation when we are going to execute bodily,
verbal or mental actions. There are three steps of an
action: 1. Before executing the action, 2. While
executing the action and 3. After executing the action.
By applying reflection and investigation one really sees
the harmful outcome to the doer and the society.
Consequently, the person can wisely refrain from doing
what he planned to do. While doing the action with this
reflection one can stop the planned action. After doing
the action one can restraint from future bad actions.
Problem of Discrimination
Buddhism is against any kind of discrimination.
Discrimination violates social justice. Gender
discrimination, caste and class discrimination were some
of the problems Buddha had to address in his day. In
patriarchal societies usually female gender is not given
the same status. This is a kind of discrimination. For
example in Indian society female was considered as low.
Therefore, women did not enjoy equal rights in par with
men. They had no opportunity to learn, to practice
religion and so forth. Buddha said that there are women
superior to men. They are intelligent and capable of
achieving highest perfection too.
According Buddhism all human beings are born equal
and, therefore, have equal opportunities. In the
Page 3 of 6
Minnesota Buddhist
Sigalovada Sutra of the Digha Nikaya, Buddha
mentioned that one should not violate social justice due
to affection, hatred, fear, and delusion.
‘Chanda dosa bhaya moha yo dhammam ativattati
Nihiyati tassa yaso kalapakkhe’va candima’
Buddha used the word, Dhamma, in this context.
Dhamma is justice. There is nothing above justice
according to Buddhism.
Buddhism and World Peace
Since non-violence is the foundation of Buddhist
ethics it is appropriate to say that Buddhism is against
any destruction. Buddhism firmly advocates that the
harmonious living is the best way. Conflicts should be
resolved amicably. War and conflicts are the big
problems for world peace. Buddha emphatically stated in
the Dhammapada that hatred begets hatred; hatred can
be pacified by loving kindness. Diplomacy based on
loving kindness can solve the problem of war.
Witiyala Seewalie Thero
Founder/President, Minnesota Buddhist Vihara Inc.
[email protected]
Our Dhamma School
The
Dhamma
School
is
the
center
of
distribution for Buddhist teachings. By sending our
children to a Dhamma School we are helping them to
learn
Buddhism,
shape
their
lives and
become useful members of society.
March 6, 2005, the day we inaugurated Minnesota
Buddhist Vihara Dhamma School, reminded me of my
childhood. When I was a child my mother illustrated the
importance of learning Dhamma by sending me and my
siblings to Sunday Dhamma school at Mutiyanganaya
temple.
What they taught at Sunday Dhamma School laid the
foundation of my life and helped later to shape my
philosophy of living. Among many other things, we
learned the joy of giving, importance of detachment to
get rid of suffering, controlling the mind, living with
minimum needs, and importance of living a simple
happy and healthy life with others. Thanks to my parents
and teachers at Mutiyangana Dhamma School for their
© Minnesota Buddhist Vihara Inc.
Volume 1 No. 1
efforts in making me a useful person to the society and
also shaping my life according to Buddhist teachings.
In this world everything is measured in monetary terms.
Amount of money you have determines what you can
buy. What you can show the others illustrates your
power. Power puts the superiority feeling that you are
above others. Although, in reality there is no man
superior, money is imaginary and power is imaginary.
Thousands of miles away from Sri Lanka, where we
were born and brought up, and living in a different
culture we can now appreciate how valuable those
lessons we learned were. Now is the time to pass on
these valuable cultural and religious insights to the next
generation. Help them learn right from wrong. It is our
obligation to provide the children with the necessary
ingredients to have a fruitful life full of love, care,
respect and peace. We hope that they will become
leaders of tomorrow and transmit those values to
generations to come.
The Minnesota Buddhist Vihara Dhamma School will
provide another way of relieving the suffering of people
in the region. This Dhamma School will be one of
our gifts from the land we were born to the land we
choose to live and the people who are living with us. I
am sure this will contribute immensely to the humanity.
Let millions of children benefit from this great
opportunity. Let’s take care of this institution. May the
school prosper and flourish.
I wish great success to the Minnesota Buddhist Vihara
Dhamma School.
Dr. Susantha Herath
Professor of BCIS at St. Cloud State University
Secretary, Minnesota Buddhist Vihara Inc.
[email protected]
Journal of
Ven. Witiyala Seewalie
November 25, 2003: Venerable Witiyala Seewalie
accepts Dr. Susantha Herath’s invitation to build a
Sri Lankan Buddhist Temple in Minnesota and
continues discussion.
March 12, 2004: Ven. Seewalie visits Minnesota
and meets several Sri Lankan families.
Page 4 of 6
Minnesota Buddhist
Volume 1 No. 1
March 30, 2004: Minnesota Buddhist Vihara Inc. is
registered.
June 2005: Contribute to build a Buddhist shrine at
the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka.
May 14, 2004: Ven. Seewalie visits Minnesota
again and attends Vesak Celebration, 2004.
MBV’s Special Appreciation
October 28, 2004: Ven. Seewalie informs his move
to Minnesota at the end of Vassan period at Los
Angles Dharma Vijaya Vihara and gets blessings
from Ven. Walpola Piyananda Nayaka thero,
Ahanagama Dhammarama Nayaka thero, and other
bikkus in the US.
•
November 25, 2004: Ven. Seewalie moves to
Minnesota permanently and starts religious services
staying at Vietnam temple in Blaine.
•
December 26, 2004: Organizes Tsunami Relief
activities and attends news/tv conferences and
solicited donations.
January 15, 2005: Publish Minnesota Buddhist
Vihara annual events calendar
March 06, 2005: Starts the Dhamma School and
other regular religious services
April 17, 2005: Celebrates Sri Lankan New Year
•
•
•
•
•
Some Major Extra Services
January – February 2005: Tsunami relief activities
for Sri Lanka: Help to rebuild two houses and a
Buddhist temple in Matara. Donate a tractor and
agricultural equipment to a family in Potuwila,.
Provide school supplies to
a school in
Trikunamalaya.
April 2005: Donate 300 books to Mental
Development and Research Center Library,
Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
April 2005: Distribute Buddhist publications
received from Taiwan to universities, schools,
public libraries, and to the general public in
Minnesota.
© Minnesota Buddhist Vihara Inc.
Ven Thich Pho Tuan, Ven Chau Anuwattho
and all others at The Vietnamese Buddhist
Temple in Blain, MN, for providing the base
for all our activities including the Dhamma
School, hosting Ven. Seewalie and Ven N.
Visvakirti and helping Sri Lankan
community
Tsunami helpers, especially, Vietnamese
community for their generosity and
compassion
Ven Nansaro Moeng Sang and all others at
Cambodian Temple in Hampton for their
support in Tsunami relief activities and
helping Sri Lankan Community
The Wickramarachchi family of Los Angles,
CA for donating the five-foot statue of
Buddha
The Corporate Body of the Buddha
Educational Foundation, Taiwan for
donating Dhamma books
The Herath Foundation for Dhamma school
text books and other services
All other devotees for their support and
dedication
Thank You!
A Request
We, the Sri Lankan Buddhists in Minnesota,
do not have a temple of our own to perform
religious activities according to our culture. It has
been one of our long felt needs. The time has ripen
for us to organize ourselves to have a Buddhist
temple here under the patronage of Venerable
Witiyala Seewali who is now doing an immense
service to Sri Lankan as well as other communities
while being hosted by the Vietnamese temple at
Blaine. Please give your whole hearted consent to
Ven. Seewalie to initiate a Buddhist Vihara of our
own in Minnesota.
- A Sri Lankan Buddhist in Minnesota
Page 5 of 6
Minnesota Buddhist
Volume 1 No. 1
Lighting of the traditional Oil Lamp at the Sri
Lankan New Year Celebrations.
Students worshiping Buddha and chanting Gatha at
the beginning of Dhamma school lessons.
Ven. Seewalie and Ven. Visvakirti conducting a
meditation session for the devotees.
Gathering of devotees participating in a meditation
session.
From Dhammapada
All that we are is the result of what we
have thought: it is founded on our
thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts.
If a man speaks or acts with an evil
thought, pain follows him, as the wheel
follows the foot of the ox that draws the
carriage.
© Minnesota Buddhist Vihara Inc.
All that we are is the result of what we
have thought: it is founded on our
thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts.
If a man speaks or acts with a pure
thought, happiness follows him, like a
shadow that never leaves him.
Page 6 of 6